The Broken Road
by kclynne
Summary: What happened during that mysterious week that Brenda had before she went off to London?
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Broken Road

Author: Kristian aka kclynne

E-Mail: kc. Brenda/Dylan, Brandon/Kelly

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters…

Distribution: This is my first 90210 fic, but I have been successful in the Buffyverse

Chapter 1

"Give me something to come back to," she pleaded with him.

Slowly they were drawn together, almost like two magnets coming together. Their eyes, both as brown as chocolate, couldn't look away from the other. They knew the look that they were both giving each other. It was the "passionate- I-Need-To-Have-You-Now" look.

Slowly, Dylan moved his head up and down and went in to kiss the girl he was with. She was the girl that would always have a place in his heart. No matter what happened in their lives, where they were, who they were with, he would always be connected and apart of Brenda Walsh. Even with Kelly, there was just a part of him that she'd never understand.

Kissing Brenda again brought back so many memories. Memories of high school, memories of day-dreams he had had of the future. A future that held her as his wife and as a mother to their kids and he was the happiest man alive.

Not a lot of words were spoken after that. Dylan held her in his arms and laid her back on the floor of his house.

The next morning, Brenda awoke in bed with Dylan's arms wrapped around her. Dylan was still sleeping next to her when she looked next to her. A small smile crept over her face as she thought about what they had done the previous night. Whatever it was that might have been started, it couldn't last long. She was leaving for London in a week. Still, as she had told Dylan the night before, a lot of things could happen in a week.

"Hey," Dylan greeted her.

Jumping a little, she looked at him.

"You startled me," she told him in a light voice. "I thought you were still asleep,"

Nodding his head back and forth a bit, he yawned almost purposely, to delay the silence. "I woke up about-" he paused to look at the clock, "twenty minutes ago."

Now she was confused.

"I just- I just wanted to hold you for a while," he admitted to her seeing the confusion on her face.

"You can hold me anytime you want Dylan,"

He sat up to be just a little more than eye level with her. Slowly he reached his index finger and lifted her chin up. Looking into her eyes, he moved in and passionately took her in his embrace. As their tongues dueled for dominance, Brenda had to stop if only for a second. All of her old and new emotions were coursing through her. It was a lot to take in.

Dylan, not giving up, moved down to kiss her neck. He felt Brenda's hands on his head, feeling her way through his hair. Slowly, she scratched his scalp, something he had once told her, drove him wild. She couldn't help but moan slightly at all the sensations he was causing within her.

"I want you Bren," he murmured in her ear. Stopping his actions, to look at her more seriously, he told her the truth, "I don't want you to go to London,"

Quickly licking her lips and sitting up with Dylan still half way on top of her, she sighed. She should have guessed something like this might happen, but she honestly thought that it would have been her who had the conflicted feelings.

Running her hands through her recently cut brown hair with few blonde highlights, she said, "Dylan, it's just two months. I'll be back in August and as soon as I get back, nothing will keep us apart. Until then, we can call each other, I mean, I won't be completely off the face of the planet,"

"That's true, and I think now we're more mature, and I think our relationship can survive you being in London for the summer," he said positively.

She nodded her head and added one more important fact, "Plus, we still have this whole week until I leave,"

He recognized the tone in her voice and what she was getting at. Smiling devilishly, he resumed what he had been doing not two minutes prior.

_**In Washington D.C.**_

Brandon Walsh couldn't have been happier. He was in Washington D.C., he had met the President of the United States earlier, and he was lying in bed with a beautiful blonde that he had spent the last few months growing feelings for.

The thought of Kelly and Dylan just breaking up or the fact that Dylan was his best friend didn't even enter his mind. He was too blissful from having her there, in his bed, in his arms.

"Hey handsome, whatchya thinkin' about?" she asked him curiously.

Smiling down at her, all he could say was the truth, "You,"

She smiled brightly up at the guy who she'd always kind of had a thing for. She often wondered what would have happened at the Spring Fling during their junior year, if he hadn't basically shot her down. She wondered how much different her life and his life, along with Brenda and Dylan's would have been.

Pushing those thoughts out of her head, she concentrated on the feeling she had now; the one that whispered inside of her that this could be it. This could be the real deal. Those feelings frightened her but; she was okay with that, because she felt so safe with Brandon. She really felt like he was her best friend.

All of a sudden, Brandon started to laugh. Curious to know what about, she asked him, "What's so funny?"

"I'm just wondering how everyone will react when we tell them,"

Rolling her eyes, she just couldn't wait. There were two people in particular she was dreading telling. All of a sudden, she felt like she was back in high school.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Dylan! Come on! We've got to get to the airport to pick up Brandon!" Brenda called from Dylan's living room into his bedroom as she was looking at her watch to see the time. Brandon's plane was coming in an hour and a half. With LA traffic, it could take anywhere from a half hour to almost three before they got there.

"Alright, I'm coming!" He called back as he was buttoning the last button on his shirt. He stepped out of his room and he was ready to go.

As Brenda opened up his door to leave, he slipped his hand around her waist and held onto her as tight as he could. She smiled at the familiar feeling of being in his arms. She had felt so alone in the last year without him. The whole thing with Stuart, while a mistake and she was clearly out of her mind, she realized that she had just been incredibly lonely. She could only imagine that Stuart was as well.

With a bright shining smile on her face, she hopped into his Porsche Speedster (just like old times), and they were ready to go pick up her brother.

They actually made pretty decent time. They got to LAX with a half an hour to spare before Brandon's plane got in. He was coming in at 1:45 and they had just enough time to get a quick bite to eat.

Looking around, Dylan spotted a little café type of place and suggested that they go there. She simply nodded her head and followed him. Dylan ordered a cup of coffee, Brenda ordered a cherry coke and they both decided to split a chocolate chip scone.

As they were sitting at a little table near where Brandon would get in, Brenda would itching to get the rest of her feelings out in the open to Dylan, before Brandon arrived.

"You know the stuff I said last night? About Brandon and my parents?" she asked him rhetorically.

He nodded his head as he took a sip of his beverage.

"Do you really think I'm a horrible sister for saying that?"

Dylan took a moment to come up with his answer. It wasn't like he was exactly the best person to be asking for this sort of advice. He'd only found out he had a sibling, eight months ago.

"Bren, I'm not exactly the best person to be asking for this kind of advice. However, it seems to me though, that siblings can get jealous of one another,"

She went to say something, but he stopped her before she could.

"Even twins, especially twins," he finished.

She really didn't like the way she was feeling, but couldn't help it because it was the truth. She hated moral dilemmas. She just felt so bad because Brandon had done nothing but support her throughout her life and here she was, jealous because he worked hard and got to be in the spotlight for a while.

"I guess your right, it just- it just seems wrong though," she admitted.

"When does feeling jealous ever feel right?" he asked her back.

She had an answer to that, but dared not speak it vocally. She knew that he and Kelly had broken up, but it was still a touchy subject. She had a feeling that Kelly would always be touchy subject. Instead of answering she just shrugged and nodded her head along with whatever he was saying.

_**On the plane… **_

"We will be landing in LA momentarily," the captain came over the loudspeaker.

Brandon took Kelly's hand in his and kissed the top of it. He was so happy, he was sure he was glowing. The look on Kelly's face spoke that she was feeling the same way. He hadn't seen a sparkle in her eyes in a very long time.

"I will be so happy to get home," Brandon said out loud.

Kelly looked at him, and wondered, a little taken aback, "Why? You didn't enjoy our hotel room time?"

He smiled and slightly blushed, "No, I enjoyed that VERY much. I'm just happy to be three thousand miles away from Lucinda Nicholson and Clare Arnold,"

Kelly gave him a chaste kiss.

"Have I told you how happy I am that you came to see me?" he asked her seriously.

She slightly giggled and nodded her head with a smile creeping on her lips. "You have and in many ways more than one," she whispered in his ear.

"You know, I am just so glad that my parents are picking me up. It should give us some time to think up how we're going to tell the rest of the gang," Brandon said.

Kelly couldn't be happier that Jim and Cindy were picking them up. While it might be a surprise that she went to see Brandon, breaking the news that they were now a couple to Jim and Cindy wasn't a reason to call out the National Guard.

After their plane had landed, they both grabbed their carry-on bags and left the plane. As they were walking into the airport, Brandon put his arm around Kelly's neck and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. His grin was up to his ears.

Suddenly Kelly stopped and was looking dead ahead. She felt like her heart sank at that very moment. Time had stopped if only for a brief moment. Jim and Cindy weren't there to pick them up. It was Brenda and Dylan!

"What?" Brandon asked as he noticed the look of shock on Kelly's face. He finally looked to where she was looking and saw his best friend and his sister in almost the same position that he was in with Kelly. Dylan had his arm wrapped around Brenda's waist and she had the same.

Now he knew why Kelly was in a sort of panic.

"Brandon!" Brenda called to him with true joy in her voice to see her brother.

Walking toward them, thinking as fast as he could to come up with an explanation as to why Kelly was with him, that wasn't the truth. Unfortunately he wasn't coming up with anything believable.

Kelly, who had been quiet for the last several minutes, walked with him, hand in hand until they reached Brenda and Dylan.

Brenda was certainly surprised to see Kelly with Brandon and wondered where in the hell she had come from and why she was holding her brother's hand. Glancing at Dylan, it looked like they were having the same thoughts.

"Hi guys," Brandon greeted with nervousness in his voice.

When Brandon and Kelly finished walking up to Brenda and Dylan, Brandon was facing Dylan and Kelly was facing Brenda. To say that there was awkwardness was an understatement.

"Where's mom and dad?" Brandon asked Brenda curious as to why they were there picking them up and not his parental units.

Regaining her composure, she answered him, "They ah, had something last minute and sent me instead. I was with Dylan so-"

"Ah," Brandon said in getting the reason for his sister's presence instead of their parents.

"What are you doing here Kel?" Dylan finally spoke.

Struggling to find the best way to tell him that she was now involved with his best friend after being broken up with him for a whole two or three days, she came up blank. Regretting what she was about to do, she had to be blunt.

"I went to Washington D.C. to see Brandon," she said honestly.

"Well Kelly, I hate to use the stereo-typical response of a Californian, but- Duh! We can see that," Brenda slightly mocked.

Holding her tongue and her patience, she was a bit more honest, "I went to Washington to see if Brandon would be willing to try a relationship with me. A romantic relationship,"

"Well, this is awkward isn't it?" Brandon joked to try and lighten up the mood. Dylan looked pissed and hurt. Brenda looked like she was ready to tear Kelly's eyes out, and Kelly, while not denying that seeing Brenda and Dylan looking so cozy stung her, wanted to rip into Brenda for being such a hypocrite. She remembered what they had said just the other day to each other at the fair.

"Despite what we've been through, we've ended up right where we started,"

"Are you back with Dylan?" Kelly asked Brenda straight out being slightly defensive.

Brenda looked at Dylan and honestly couldn't answer Kelly. She wasn't sure what they were or were going to be, where they were headed. The only thing she knew was that all that information was going to be discussed and figured out before she left for London.

"And if I was?" she shot back at her once best friend.

"Well, then what right do you have to make judgments on me? Or your brother for that matter!" Kelly demanded.

Putting up her front, Brenda fought back, "Excuse me, but I'm not the one who dumped her boyfriend and then ran off to be with his best friend!"

"Hey! Hey!" Dylan spoke up. Brenda knew that Dylan didn't like to yell unless he thought it was necessary or he thought it was a potential threat to him, which wasn't easy to do. "Retract the claws!"

Brandon gave his twin a stern look that told her that he wasn't happy and he wanted to talk about it. Almost if on cue, he shot out his hand to indicate that they go to another location. He didn't ask and she didn't answer. When Brandon realized that it was his sister there to pick him up and instead of their parents, he had hoped that Brenda would wait to make a scene in the privacy of their own bathroom, as it would usually go.

He had known that the odds were not in his favor, but still, you couldn't blame the guy for hoping. Even though she caused scenes and could be a pain in the ass ninety percent of the time, he knew that she was only being protective.

Brenda thought of the irony the day held. Earlier she had been thinking about how much Kelly was still a touchy subject with Dylan. With this new development, she wondered what in the world was going to happen next. Anything was possible.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry for the wait guys.. I had a crisis of some sorts at my house the last few days and I didn't have the opportunity to write as much, but I did get what I could out of it... Sorry that it's so short though...**_

Chapter 3

Dylan looked up at the girl who he had broken up with just two days ago. He honestly didn't know how he felt about her anymore. He knew that he loved her, but it wasn't like it used to be. Things had never really been easy between them. They had moments and short spans of time, but they really didn't have anything solid. Maybe that was their problem. There was always another problem in their way.

"Look, I'm not going to stand here and pretend that I don't care," he started to say.

"Dylan, this isn't about revenge or trying to get back at you or anything like that," she interrupted him. Before he could go into his- whatever it was that he went into, she had to make him understand that this was about her and her feelings for Brandon and Brandon's feelings for her.

"This is about how I feel for Brandon and how he feels for me. I know that despite what we've been through in the last few months, we both still care for each other, but it isn't our time anymore. I need to explore this relationship with Brandon,"

Dylan sighed. Despite his better judgment, internally he knew that if he couldn't have her for whatever reasons, Brandon would be the next best guy for her to be with. Externally, he knew that he would get over it eventually and get used to seeing her with Brandon. Suddenly, he found a new respect for Brenda.

He had known that he had hurt her when he had chosen Kelly over her, and until now, he didn't know just how much. He looked over at Brenda and Brandon and saw that whatever the issue was, it wasn't becoming an issue so much anymore.

Dylan decided that it was safe to approach when he saw Brenda smiling wholeheartedly. That was always a good sign. He took a couple steps in front of him where the Walsh twins stood. As he watched her smile, he couldn't help but do the same. There was something about the girl that always made him smile, even at his weakest moments.

Walking over to his friends, he put his arm around Brenda and gave her a loving look. They really needed to talk more in depth about what was going on between them, and he had a feeling that they would be doing that later that evening.

"Everything okay over here?" he asked with caution.

Brenda looked at Brandon and finally at Kelly.

"I'm sorry Kelly," Brenda apologized. "Seeing you with Brandon was just a shock to my system,"

Kelly looked her over once to make sure that she was really telling the truth, and decided that she really was. Still, Brenda was an actress, so she decided to just be cautious and not push too hard, too fast. She and Brandon had realized that it would take the gang a little time to get used to them being together. Hell, it was going to take them getting used to being with each other.

"You know Brenda, it's okay. I probably would have reacted the same way. I want you to know that it is totally okay with me if you and Dylan decide to get back together," Kelly told her best friend honestly. "I know that you probably have never stopped loving him,"

Brenda could only nod her head.

The drive home from the airport was filled with nothing but silence. Occasionally, Brenda would ask Brandon how his conference was and what it was like to shake the President's hand. He had decided to only give short answers. Brenda took that as a "We'll talk about it at home with Mom and Dad,"

"Well I have good news that I want to share with you once we get home," Brenda told Brandon. He could only help but wonder what in the heck she was talking about.

Dylan, who had been his typical quiet self, glanced at Brenda when she had said that and couldn't help but have an overwhelming feeling course through him. He had this feeling that next week when he said good-bye to her at the airport, it would be the last time he saw her. Immediately he pushed those negative thoughts out of his head, of course he would see her again! He'd do everything thing he could to make sure that happened.


	4. Chapter 4

_**As a special treat since it took me SO long to update, and chapter 3 was especially short, here's chapter 4 for you!**_

_**I improved a little history between Brandon and Brenda and also between Dylan and Brenda. Another little side note: When Dylan went to Palm Springs to pick up Brenda, she DIDN'T confess her love for him.**_

_**Also, in the first chapter I wrote that Brenda had brown eyes and I was corrected that she had green/hazel-y eyes. I apologize, for some reason; I was thinking that she had brown. **_

Chapter 4

**_Later in Brenda and Brandon's bathroom…_**

"What's really going on between you and Kelly?" Brenda almost questioned her other half immediately as she leaned up against the bathroom counter.

"What's really going on between you and Dylan?" Brandon fired back just as fast as she had while he rummaged through his drawers for his comb.

Rolling her eyes she opened up the bottom drawer and pulled out his comb for him. Quickly she came up with a way to avoid talking about Dylan and about Kelly, so she offered him a truce.

"You know Brandon, I won't ask you questions about Kelly if you don't ask me questions about Dylan,"

Brandon took a few minutes to weigh the offer as he combed his hair. Finally he decided that it was probably a pretty good idea that neither of them talk about what was going on in their love lives at the moment, he agreed.

"Deal," he paused, "Now tell me about this good news you have?"

Brenda took a huge breath to prepare for hitting her brother with the news that she wasn't going to be around for the summer.

"Do you remember before you left, I told you that I went to see Roy Randolph?" she asked him.

He nodded his head. He remembered her saying that she was going to meet him, but they hadn't had the chance to talk further because he left early the next morning to go to Washington.

"He offered me a place in the summer program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts," she said quickly and in one breath. She squeezed her eyes shut so not to see the reaction on his face.

"As in London?" he questioned rather calmly.

"As in London," she confirmed, letting the relief lift from her shoulders that she had at least told him. Now she just had to wait for his reaction. She knew that with huge news, Brandon sometimes had delayed reactions. After it had sunk in for a few minutes, that's when it really hit him.

"And I take it you're going," he didn't even asked, he just concluded. He couldn't hide the sadness in his voice. They had only spent one entire summer away from each other and that was when they were eight years old at summer camp. Even then, they were just across the lake from each other. He wasn't really counting when she went to Paris, because she was only gone for three weeks.

"I leave right after finals," she said with as much conviction as she could possibly muster. She wasn't going to lie and say that she wasn't scared, because she was terrified. She decided that she would just have to take a huge breath and jump.

He nodded his head, and finally spoke after several tension filled moments of silence.

"Okay, so I'm re-nigging on our deal; is that why you and Dylan-?" he questioned.

"I guess I didn't want to go to London, without ever knowing what might have been," Brenda shrugged and answered openly. She crossed her arms and the awkward silence grew between them again.

Brandon could tell that she was wondering about him and Kelly, but he waited until she actually asked him, just to drive her a little more nuts. Unfortunately, for him, it didn't work. She returned to their present subject: London.

"So are you even going to miss me?" she playfully asked him.

"You know, I'm having a strange sense of déjà vu, didn't we go through this last year?" he asked her mockingly. It was his way of saying that either she would chicken out at the last second, or she would come home before the summer was over.

She simply shook her head with a smile on her lips. She just didn't know what to do with Brandon sometimes. Glancing over at the clock, she saw that it was about six in the afternoon. She was supposed to meet Dylan in a half an hour at his house.

"Oh god, Brandon! Go! I have to be at Dylan's in a half hour!" she exclaimed trying to rush him out of the bathroom and into his room.

"Do Mom and Dad know?" he questioned her, already knowing the answer.

"What do you think?"

"I think you better come up with your own excuse," he told her.

"Look, I'm not going to tell Mom and Dad that something is going on between me and Dylan until WE know what's going on between us," she explained to him, trying to convince him.

He nodded his head and mumbled, "okay," before he shut his door so she could have some privacy. She simply rolled her eyes at him and went on her way, finishing her make-up and checking her out-fit before she headed out the door to see Dylan.

She made one quick pit stop in her room first. She rummaged through her jewelry box and found what she was looking for. Her face beamed as she stared at what she held in hand. She closed the lid to her jewelry box and headed out the door.

**_At Dylan's…_**

Brenda arrived at Dylan's almost right on time. She always believed that if you were early, you were on time. If you were on time, you were late. She knocked on his door a few times before she heard his voice distantly saying, "Coming!"

She checked her hair once or twice before he reached the door. He opened the door and kept his left arm up on the side of the door, to lean on. He glanced at her, up and down. As he was checking her out, she couldn't help but smile brightly. She had forgotten how special he had made her feel once upon a time. When he looked at her, it was like, she was the only one in the room and there was no one else. She knew that that was how she had always looked at Dylan.

"You look great," he complimented her, as he held his arm out to invite her inside.

She took the two steps it took to enter his house. He closed the door behind her and put his arms around her from behind. With his nose right by her ear, he whispered to her, "What's that smell? You smell incredible, almost good enough to eat,"

She slightly blushed and answered, "Its cherry vanilla,"

"Who gave it to you?" he asked as the innocence of the situation quickly left them and it turned incredibly sensual and sexual.

Brenda was a little stung that he didn't remember. Though she could hardly blame him it had been a few years since he had given it to her, but she still expected him to remember something that he had given her.

"You did,"

"I did?" he inquired, clearly not remembering that he had given her this sweet smelling perfume.

She nodded her head and unhooked herself from his arms so she could turn around and face him. He could see the hurt in her eyes that he didn't remember. She simply placed her hand near her collar bone and played with a necklace. She pulled it out from underneath her shirt and asked him with slight anger in her voice, "Do you even remember this?"

He immediately recognized the necklace. It was the other half of the heart necklace he had given to her during their first Christmas together. He had figured that when they had broken up and she had put all of the stuff he had given her out in garage, she had put that out there with it. He assumed wrong.

"Of course I remember that Bren,"

"Well thank god for that," she threw in a slight jab.

Dylan realized that he deserved that one. He scratched his head and offered her a seat on his couch or on his chair. She took the couch. He plopped right down next to her and placed his hand on her knee.

"Look, I know how I feel about you. You know how I feel about you. What we don't seem to have in this equation is how you feel about me," She started off immediately. "I mean, you tell me that you want me after we made love last night and you asked me not to go to London, but yet, at the airport you looked like you wanted to tear Brandon's head off for being with Kelly, and then you barely say two words to me the rest of the day! Do you want to have a relationship with me or don't you? Which is it?"

"Brenda," he started to say before she interrupted him.

"Do you want to just be friends or friends with benefits or do you want all of me? Tell me!" she slightly demanded.

"If you would stop talking I could!" he slightly snapped. He saw the guilty look on her face and said what he needed to say, "Bren, you will always be a part of me, a part of my soul, and I think that that part of me has never stopped loving you,"

"I'm taking that as a 'yes"," she concluded hopefully.

He only nodded his head with a big smile on his face. The look on Brenda's face could only be compared to a six year old on Christmas morning. It was like she had just gotten everything she had ever wanted.

She sauntered up to him and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled at him and knew that she was on cloud nine. She had never been happier then she was at that very moment.

"Instead of picking up where we left off, how about we start fresh?" she suggested.

Those words were music to his ears. He got the feeling that there was a slight catch. Looking down at her, he tried to see if she was hiding something. He had always been able to read her like a book. He saw it instantly.

"You haven't told your parents have you!"

"And what would you have liked me to tell them Dylan?" she requested of him sarcastically, "That I might or might not get back together with my ex-boyfriend!"

"Well I don't know Bred, you might have mentioned SOMETHING!" he raised his voice, "To make matters even better, it's not like Jim and I are on the best of terms right now,"

She had to slightly laugh, "And when have you and Jim been on the best of terms? I'm sorry I must have missed that whole day,"

He looked at her knowingly, getting her point, he could only say one thing, "Touché,"

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Brenda! You're twenty years old! Your father can't tell you what to do anymore! You're old enough to make decisions like this on your own! He can't hurt us anymore!" Dylan slightly yelled to get his point across. "Jesus! Are we back THERE again!"

Brenda shook her head. He just **_wasn't_** understanding what she was saying or where she was coming from. She had stood up to Big Jim in the past; it wasn't like she was afraid to or that she couldn't. She just wasn't sure how her father would react upon hearing the news that she and Dylan were once again a couple. Especially after the whole Kevin-Environmentalist investment went to hell.

"Dylan! We are not back THERE again! You haven't listened to a word I've said! I said that the reason why I think we should wait is to let the dust settle between the two of you and THEN it'll make the blow at least a little easier for him!" Brenda explained as hard as she could.

Dylan placed his hand on his couch and looked down at his floor as if he was thinking but not wanting to admit it. They had been "arguing" about this subject for the last twenty minutes. He honestly didn't even remember how it started; he just remembered that they started yelling at one another.

"Dylan, I'm GOING to tell him. I'd just prefer when I tell him, it's at the right time. You know it's going to be hard for him to accept, but I seriously think that if we can show him that our relationship has matured and grown, then I don't think he'll have a problem with it," Brenda argued calmly and rationally.

"Well Bren, if you think he won't have a problem with it, then why do we have to wait?" Dylan asked defeated.

She took a large breath and sat down on his couch. She took a few moments to seriously think and put it the best way she could come up with.

"Considering our past, and just recently the whole fiasco with Stuart- I want to take this slow. I realize the hypocrisy in that with having slept with you, but I want to count that as a part of our old relationship. I don't want to mess this up, and I don't want to lose you again," she confided.

Dylan made his way over to her and wrapped his strong arms around her fragile body. He stayed that way for several minutes; just letting her feel him around her. It was a comfort to both of them, just knowing the other was there to physically and emotionally hold on to.

"Now Bren," he started off saying as he rubbed her shoulders. She took that as a sign to look up and look him in the eyes. She quickly brushed her fluffy brunette hair out of her hazel eyes to get a better look at him. "That is probably one of the smartest things you've said all day,"

She chuckled at his response. Gently, she ran her fingers through his hair and just savored the moment.

"You know I love you," she confessed.

"I love you too," he replied as he leaned in to give her a chaste kiss that quickly turned into more.

Before anything more could happen, Dylan's stomach growled angrily. Both parties couldn't help but laugh. Of all the things to interrupt their make-out session, it HAD to be Dylan's stomach.

"Peach Pit?" Brenda suggested.

Dylan nodded and confirmed, "Now THAT is the smartest thing you've said all day,"

Brenda laughed again and pushed Dylan off of her, so she could sit up. Standing up, she offered her hand to him, which he took. He contemplated pushing her back down on the couch, but then his stomach growled again and he decided against it. Dylan stood up and lead the way out of his house and into his car.

_**At the Peach Pit…**_

"What's the matter Don? You're lookin' a little down. That's not really like you," Nat observed as he spotted Donna sitting alone in a booth near the corner.

Donna looked up at Nat, and tried to push her own pain aside by giving him a simple smile, but found even that hard to do.

"I'm sorry Nat," Donna apologized, "It's just-" she paused to try and find the right words to sugar-cote what happened between her and David, "David and I broke up," she simply said.

Nat's eyes grew huge. That was certainly not what he was expecting to hear- ever! David and Donna had broken up! He thought that after David's drug problem was solved, everything was good between them. Apparently he guessed wrong.

"Oh Donna," he sympathized. "I am REALLY sorry,"

"Thanks Nat," she said graciously.

"Anything you want, it's on the house," Nat offered and gave her the "and no butt's about it" look. She simply nodded her head and stood up to go the juke box. Scanning what she should choose to listen to, a particular song stood out.

She placed her money in the jukebox and pushed the button, waiting to hear the sounds of come over the speakers. As she sat back down in her booth, a familiar face walked in the door.

"Donna!" Brenda called over at her, concerned with how she was doing.

"Hey Bren," Donna greeted her best friend kindly.

"Hey, Bren, I'm gonna go talk to Nat," Dylan told her and placed a kiss on top of her head before he headed in the back.

Brenda sat down at the booth to accompany her friend and gave her a huge hug. She gently rubbed her back and then faced her.

"How are you doing?" Brenda asked genuinely.

Donna nodded her head up and down to indicate that she was doing okay, but they both knew that it would take some serious time for Donna to be okay. David had been her first love and they had been together for over two years. Brenda understood that you don't get over someone like that over-night. She had never gotten over Dylan, not completely at least.

"As good as can be expected," Donna answered in the strongest voice she could muster. All of a sudden, she looked at Brenda, and it was like a light bulb went off in her head. "You came in with Dylan didn't you?"

Brenda nodded her head, unable to keep the smile off of her face.

"Are you two?" Donna questioned getting a little excited.

"Yes we are, and don't worry! Kelly knows and she's okay with it," Brenda said honestly and openly.

Donna looked at Brenda with a "are you sure?" look, but Brenda didn't budge. She had the up-most confidence that everything was going to work itself out and everything was going to be okay. She also tossed Donna a "I know something" look.

"What do you know?" Donna pushed eagerly. She needed something, anything to take her mind off the David for two minutes.

Brenda toyed with her response for a few moments, "Let's just say that me and Dylan getting back together, won't be the only shock wave around here,"

Donna was intrigued. She could tell that that was all she was going to get out of Brenda though. She'd just have to be patient and wait. Just then, Dylan came back to the table. He looked troubled, more so than usual.

"Don, I'm sorry to cut this short, but Bren, we gotta go," Dylan said quickly and efficiently as he grabbed for Brenda's hand.

"Is everything okay?" Brenda rushed out in one breath as Dylan was dragging her away from Donna.

"Not even close," he muttered to himself, but loud enough so Brenda could hear him. As he practically dragged her out of The Peach Pit, she glanced back at Donna and gave her an apologetic look. She mouthed, "I'm sorry" and left with Dylan.

Outside, in the blinding sunlight, Brenda begged, "Dylan! What is going on!"

"Just get in the car, I'll explain everything on the way," he said in a final toned voice.

"On the way to where?" she wondered out loud, not wanting to push his temper.

"To the bank,"

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

**_Hey guys! I am heading off to college on Saturday and I don't know the next time I will be able to write out a full chapter, so I wanted to send out one more! I hope you guys like it!_**

Chapter 6

The ride to and from the bank was filled with nothing but complete silence. The air was awkward and Brenda picked up on that immediately. In their entire relationship, she had never felt awkward around Dylan. It had always felt natural. Even when they had made love for the first time, it was- right.

Brenda didn't dare say a word to Dylan until they were in the privacy of his own home. She didn't recognize the look on his face. She had never seen him look so pissed off, so heart-broken and so betrayed at the same time. She could only wonder what exactly happened in that bank that made him look the way he was. She wasn't about to say something that might set him off on the road and cause him to lose control of his car. Though she found that rather unlikely, she didn't want to take a chance.

Dylan pulled into his driveway and up into his garage. He got out of the car, slammed his door shut and didn't utter a single word to Brenda. Slowly, she got out of his car, gently shut her door and entered his house. He was bent over his dining with his hands straining against the oak.

Brenda walked up to him and reached out her hand to touch his shoulder and offer her support, but thought twice about it. She didn't know what kind of mood Dylan was in or how he'd respond. She figured to wait and when he was ready, she would be there for him.

Until that time came, she walked into his kitchen and looked in his fridge and his cupboards to see what he had to eat. She was starving! She hadn't had time to eat at The Pit earlier and she needed food in her! Seeing that her best option was going to be eggs, she pulled out the carton from the fridge and a cereal bowl from his top cupboard.

Fifteen minutes and two pieces of toast later, Brenda was stuffed! She took one last gulp of the juice she had poured for herself and went to clean up. After she washed her dishes and dried them, she put them back where they belonged and walked back out into Dylan's living area.

There he was. He was just sitting on his couch with that same damned look on his face. She took a large breath and sat down next to him. Taking a chance, she placed her hand gently on his knee, and looked up at him.

He simply crumbled. Leaning into her shoulder he took her in his arms, lifted her into his lap and let everything out while holding onto her as tight as he could. She could only hold him in return and whisper sweet nothing's into his ear. She ran her fingers through his hair to try and calm him. It slightly worked. She pulled herself back to look at him and quietly she told him, "I'm here for you,"

She wasn't sure how long she was in Dylan's arms, it could have been minutes, hours, merely seconds, but it felt like forever. She could have stayed there forever too. Despite the crap that always seemed to affect them, when they were in each other's arms, it never mattered. The outside world wasn't real then, only the other was. Only the intensity, the passion, the love, was real.

"They stole it, Bren," he muttered softly while his face was buried in her neck.

She was confused, "Who stole what Dylan?" she asked calmly and rationally.

He jerked his head as he looked up at her. Gently he pushed her off of his lap and paced around his living room. She could tell that he was debating something, she just didn't know what.

"Dylan?" she asked gently.

He looked at her and looked like he had made up his mind about whatever he was debating.

"Bren, you need to get out of here," he said with conviction.

"Dylan! Tell me what is going on!" She was a bit more aggressive. To hell with what was the matter with him, now she was just worried about him and he didn't look rational.

"Bren!" He argued back yelling at her.

"Dylan! Tell me what the HELL is going on!" she demanded.

He opened the door with his hand and stared at her. She got up off the couch and walked up to him. She looked him deep in his eyes and saw that they were emotionless. They looked nearly black, not the chocolate-brown color she would drown herself in. Honestly, she got a little afraid of him. Without another word, she walked out of his house. As soon as she was out, he slammed the door shut.

She turned at the sudden loud noise and saw him pace around his house again. Finally his eyes drifted to his table. He staring at his keys that he had set there earlier. He scratched his head and then grabbed them. She quickly hid herself and watched him jump into his car. He pulled out his driveway rather quickly and she could only hope that wherever he was going, he wouldn't be gone long.

Ten minutes later, he still hadn't come back. Brenda became impatient so she started to walk home. It was a good fifteen to twenty minute walk back to her house. "Oh joy," she thought sarcastically.

Finally she made it home and it was nearly ten o'clock at night. She dragged herself up to her room and she flopped on her bed. She let out a huge sigh and heard a knock on her door come from the bathroom.

"Yeah?" she called.

Brandon opened the door and saw his sister lying on her bed looking exhausted. He looked a bit worried.

"How's Dylan?" he asked.

If he could have seen her, she rolled her eyes and said, "Don't ask,"

"Trouble in paradise?" he asked slightly mockingly.

"More like trouble at the bank," she answered him honestly. She saw the look on her twin's face and sat up to explain herself further. "It was the oddest thing. We were at the Peach Pit to get something to eat and then he went to talk to Nat, he came back a few minutes later and we went to the bank. He came out of the bank and-" she stopped herself.

Feeling left on a cliffhanger, he prompted, "And what?"

"Brandon, I had never seen him look the way he looked in his car on the way back to his house from the bank. It was like his best friend had just taken out his bike without his permission and wrecked it,"

"So, pissed, sad and betrayed?" Brandon deduced.

"Basically yeah," she confirmed. "I must have been at his house with him for at least an hour and a half and suddenly, he just, fell apart. The only other time I had seen him fall apart like that, on such a high emotional level was on our first date and he ran into his father,"

"I'll have to try that out the next time I have a date," Brandon said trying to lighten the mood as he crossed her room and leaned against her dresser.

"Brandon! I'm serious! I thought that finally he was ready to talk about it and all he said was "they stole it," and that was it! The second I questioned what he was talking about, he threw me out of his house! I stayed behind and I saw him jump in his car and take off some place, but I didn't wait for him to come back," Brenda explained the situation with slight defeat in her voice.

She shook her head and wondered to herself, "Why can't Dylan and I EVER get a break when we're together?"

Brandon finally came over and sat next to her on her bed. He looked at her and told her with up-most confidence, "If he doesn't call in the next hour, I'll drive you over there to see if he's back,"

Brenda felt a tiny bit relieved. She hugged her brother and thanked him properly, "Thank you Brandon. It means a lot to me,"

"Hey, just remember you're not his only friend you know,"

"Yeah I know," she responded with a smile on her face.

Brandon was right, she wasn't Dylan's only friend. BUT, she was his only girlfriend. Plus, she had always believed that they could tell each other anything, even the bad stuff. Either she had been kidding herself for the past few years, or this was so huge, that "bad" didn't even begin to cover it.

_**One hour later…**_

"Brandon! Come on!" Brenda called up to Brandon from the bottom of the stairs. Dylan still hadn't called and she was getting a horrible feeling in her stomach. She just knew that something wasn't right, and she was going to find out what it was, with or without Brandon.

Brandon came down the stairs, slightly yawning, but still very much awake. "Look, I'm sure he's fine,"

Brenda responded, "I hope you're right". She said the words but something inside of her was telling her not to believe them. Brenda quietly opened the front door and they were as quiet as they could be exiting their driveway.

Brandon hit all of the lights, so they made it to Dylan's in five minutes flat. Dylan's car was in the driveway, so they both took that as a good sign. His lights were on, that was another check in the plus column.

Brenda walked up to his door and peeked inside. She saw Dylan passed out on his couch with several bottles of beer around him. She opened the door and raced to his side. Brandon simply walked into Dylan's house and didn't say a word as Brenda called out to Dylan to try and wake him back up.

"Dylan," she said to him. She looked back up at Brandon and wondered a loud, "God what is so horrible that would resort him back to drinking after being sober for two years?"

Brandon knew it was a rhetorical question but still he answered, "I don't know Bren. What ever it is, we're not gonna get any answers until he wakes up,"

Without asking, they both knew that neither one of them was going back home that night. They would both wait until morning when Dylan was conscious to find out what the hell was going on. Brandon sat down on Dylan's chair and thought, "Yep, this is going to be a LONG night,"

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sorry guys about not getting back to you sooner. I've been really busy moving into college and having my first classes. I did find time to write tonight though, so I hope you enjoy and please review!**_

_**Crystal: The reason I wrote that Dylan threw Brenda out of the house wasn't because he didn't want her to see him like that; it was more that if she was around, he knew she would try and stop him, and that wasn't something he wanted to deal with. **_

_**About the whole "Brenda telling Brandon about Dylan losing his cool", I actually haven't seen that whole episode, so that was my fault. And yes, I remembered Erica… That's going to be developed more in this chapter…**_

**_Also, that whole storyline about Dylan going down to Mexico to get Kevin and Suzanne is going to be bumped up during the summer. Just so there's no confusion on that one… And I know that Dylan never told Brenda about Christine working in the FBI (At least, I don't think he did), but for the sake of the story, he did. _**

Chapter 7

Six thirty came rather slowly in Brenda's mind. Brandon actually had managed to get a few hours of shut eye. Brenda hadn't even slept for ten minutes for fear that Dylan might regain consciousness when she nor Brandon was awake. No, Brenda hadn't slept a wink.

Finally, she got fed up of waiting for him to wake up by himself. She pushed Dylan's body over slightly and could barely sit on his couch. She shook his shoulder rather hard and said in a rather loud voice, "Dylan!"

Still, he did not move.

She tried again, "Dylan! Wake up!" She shook his shoulder harder. Brandon woke up that time. He yawned and saw that Dylan was still passed out. He wiped his eyes and asked, "Still not awake yet, huh?"

Brenda looked down at Dylan and had an idea. She glanced over at Brandon and warned him, "If you want, don't look over here," She leaned in and did her best to kiss Dylan on the lips. She kissed him several times, slightly gagging at the taste of stale beer on his breath and finally she got a moan from him. He wasn't awake fully yet, but he was coming out of it.

Slowly he opened his brown slit eyes and saw Brenda's hazel eyes staring intensely right back at him. He remembered yelling at Brenda to get out last night, getting booze and coming home to only, assume that he passed out at some point from getting trashed. He wasn't exactly surprised to see Brenda next to him at the moment.

He remembered why exactly he had pushed her out last night and he turned away from her. He was ashamed of his behavior. He knew that he had acted like an utter asshole, but at the time, he felt justified.

With all the revealing information he was given the day before, he had never felt that low before in his life. He had thought that he had finally had the family that he had desired for so long, and it turned out to be a fraud. Erica was gone and he was probably never going to see her again, his money was gone, and Brenda was leaving in a few days. Alcohol was his only solution the night before.

"Get up Dylan," Brenda softly ordered him.

He immediately recognized the tone in her voice. It was concern mixed in with being incredibly pissed off. At the moment, he didn't blame her.

Dylan pushed himself up from his hands and looked over at his chair to see Brandon sitting there with his arms resting on his thighs, while giving a stern look at him as well. Dylan moved his legs off the couch and sat up. Brenda sat in front of him on his coffee table.

She handed him some water and some aspirin in case he had a hang over. He refused the aspirin but drank the water to freshen himself up and wake up.

"Are you alright?" Brandon asked him after being silent for a few minutes.

Dylan shook his head no. He wasn't okay and he knew that drinking last night had only made the situation worse. He had been doing SO well and Brenda had been nothing but there for him yesterday and he had thrown her out without a second thought last night.

"Brenda, I am SO sorry about last night," he apologized.

She looked at him and didn't say anything for several minutes. She told herself to calm down. He seemed sincere enough. That still didn't change the fact of how he had treated her earlier. She would have to wait though. It was more important finding out what had happened to him yesterday to cause to shut down.

"Dylan, just tell me what is going on. You can tell me anything, you know that. Please," she practically begged him.

Dylan took one look in her soft, comforting eyes and cracked.

He took a huge breath and began, "All my money's gone Brenda,"

She looked confused. What happened?

He saw her reaction when he told her and explained further, "Kevin and Suzanne stole it all! They're gone! Erica's gone! I'm never going to see her again Bren! My little sist-" he didn't even finish his sentence before he broke down completely.

Brenda kneeled down on his carpet and put his head on her shoulder and let him express himself. He gripped her shirt as he practically clung to her. She whispered sweet nothing's into his ear to calm him down.

Brandon sat in the chair and watched the interaction between his sister and his best friend. No matter what anyone said, they were the real deal. They always understood each other and they loved each other for who they were, not what their image was. He could almost see the love radiating off of them as they were clutching each other.

"Dylan, it's going to be okay." Brenda said out loud so that Brandon could hear too.

"No it's not Bren! It's not going to be okay! Think about it! What if after you went away to London you never saw Brandon again! It would tear your heart out wouldn't it?" he questioned slightly angry yet defeated.

Brandon and Brenda shared a glance. They both knew that it would be the hardest thing in the world to never see each other again. They had kind of drifted the last few weeks. Brenda had been so busy with the play and Brandon had been busy with the Task Force, they hadn't been talking a lot lately. She made a mental note to change that.

She nodded her head and replied, "Yes, it would,"

"So, you see! Things are NOT going to be okay!" Dylan blew up.

Brenda knew he had a point, but she couldn't just give up. Until she knew that there was nothing else she could do, she always had a fight in her.

"Damn it Dylan! I am SURE that there is some way to track down Kevin and Suzanne! And I highly doubt that Erica was in on this little scheme, so she's probably trying to get back to you right now. All we have to do is look for some clues. Maybe they left something behind," Brandon rationalized before Brenda could even open her mouth. That freaky twin vibe freaked her out some times.

Dylan snapped his head up at his best friend. He made everything seem so damn easy. The world revolved around Brandon Walsh. He was always the "perfect one", nothing he ever did was wrong, at least, not anymore. He remembered when Brandon wanted to drink when the Walsh's had just moved to town, but one quick AA meeting and it had set him straight. Since then, he had had a few mess up's, but nothing major. Now he thought that a few magical words would fix this situation? He didn't think so!

"Look, Brandon, I appreciate your support in wanting to help me find Kevin and Suzanne, but you have to understand! The odds of them leaving some sort of "clue" behind, is as likely as my dad coming back to life! It's NOT going to happen! This whole scheme took them eight months before they could steal my money. Do you realize how much intricate planning they had to do, to work this over for EIGHT months!" Dylan screamed. He had known some scheming tricks. Hell, his father had been a pro at it. He was bound to pick up a few tips.

Suddenly, Brenda had a flash. She remembered a conversation she'd had with Dylan right after his father's death. He had mentioned something about the FBI and his father's fiancée working with them. She couldn't remember the exact details, but she figured she could at least ask.

"Dylan, didn't you tell me once that your father's fiancée worked with the FBI?" Brenda questioned him with calmness and support in her voice.

Dylan nodded his head in answer to her question.

Brenda simply looked at him, wondering why he hadn't thought about this earlier.

"Why don't you call her and ask her to help you find Kevin and Suzanne? Surely they must have pulled other jobs. You can't pull off a scheme of this measurement your first time out. Maybe they might be able to help you out," Brenda suggested.

Dylan didn't blow up at the idea. It was actually probably the best idea to try and solve the entire situation. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he really hoped that this would work.

Finally he found the number for the local FBI building. As he was waiting on the phone, he vaguely opened his mail. Not recognizing the name and not knowing anyone in Michigan, he was suddenly incredibly curious. The line for the FBI kept ringing and ringing. Holding the phone to his ear using his shoulder, he used both hands to open the plain white envelope.

Inside the envelope was a tiny note with a female's handwriting. It simply said, "I was at the airport in Los Angeles and I found this in the ladies bathroom,"

Inside, was a small piece of notebook paper. On it, had Dylan's address and on the back read the note: Dylan, Kevin and Suzanne are taking me to Brazil! HELP!"

Just as he was done reading the note, the FBI picked up on the other line and Brenda looked over his shoulder to ask, "What is it?"

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After the FBI lied to Dylan about no Christine Petit working with them, he slammed the phone down and sighed. He had handed Brandon and Brenda the note Erica had left and the Walsh twins had the same look run across their faces. They both hoped that this could mean something. Erica had said that they were going to Brazil. That was a starting point. If only the FBI would tell Dylan where Christine was, then maybe they could help.

"Dylan, if you go in there tomorrow, and maybe push a few buttons concerning Jack, they'll be more cooperative?" Brandon suggested in the most rational way he could think of.

Dylan nodded his head in agreement. He would to the FBI building and he would get the answers that he needed and come hell or high water, he wasn't leaving that building tomorrow until he got them.

Brandon was starting to feel like he had worn out his welcome. He turned to Brenda who was simply observing Dylan. He told her that he was leaving, though he doubted if she really heard him. She said, "Yeah, okay," but positive that he could have told her anything at that moment and she wouldn't have noticed.

Quietly he left.

Brenda walked over to Dylan and wrapped her arms around him. At that moment, that was the only way she could truly support him, and she felt that he was grateful for that. He didn't want to talk anymore, he just wanted to be. He wanted them to just be for a while. He wanted to forget all the stuff that had gone down in the last two days. He didn't have THAT much time left with Brenda before she had to leave. He wasn't going to waste it being pissed off when he could be doing other things.

"Brenda, I know that you said that you wanted to take this slow," Dylan began as he brought his head back to look into her beautiful eyes.

"Dylan, believe me when I say that I really want to make love to you too," Brenda replied as she could tell where he was going with his statement.

"But?"

"But, if we're starting this relationship fresh, what does that say about our relationship? That it's just based on sex?" she questioned him. He remained silent and she took a new approach. "Do you remember when we first started going out back in high school and even though we both wanted to and tried to make love several times, we ended up waiting until the Spring Dance?"

He nodded his head. Of course he remembered. Someone doesn't forget one of the most incredible night's of their life.

"My point is, because we waited, we ended up falling head over heals for each other. It wasn't JUST about the sex. We loved each other, we held each other, we completed each other," Brenda continued as she remembered the absolute best night of her life. "Remember that feeling after we had waited so long to make love? We were so excited that we had finally done it, we were on top of the world!" Brenda smiled as she relived that moment in her life. "I want to feel that excited again. Dylan, I want to fall head over heals in love with you again,"

"I want that too Bren," Dylan admitted.

She smiled brightly, relieved that he felt the same way. She felt like she was on cloud nine as Dylan wrapped her up in his arms and held on to her as tightly as he could. Dylan had a thought. Just because they were waiting to make love, didn't mean that they couldn't have a little make-out session.

Dylan brought his head back and kissed Brenda with such a passion and such lust and love, she couldn't remember him ever being that forceful or be that intense. They both had grown up tremendously since they had been together. They had both learned a lot more about love and what they were looking for in a partner.

What they had learned was that everything they were looking for was exactly what they had had.

Brenda wanted someone who could laugh about things even when they were bad. She wanted someone who would believe in her (even when no one else would). She wanted someone to love her for the person she was, someone who she could hold a meaningful conversation with, and someone who would support her whole-heartedly in whatever she did in life.

Dylan wanted someone who loved him despite his faults, who would be there for him even when he pushed them away. He wanted someone to always challenge him, someone who was independent, but not afraid to ask for his help when needed and someone who was his best friend. He wanted someone that he felt like he could tell anything to.

As Dylan deepened the kiss, Brenda knew that he was doing this intentionally to torture her. It was like waving the thing you wanted most in the world dangled right in front of you and then someone pulled it back while sticking their tongue out at you. There was only one way to beat Dylan.

Suddenly, Brenda stopped kissing Dylan.

He pulled back looking slightly confused and hurt. She didn't say anything. She just looked at him with a triumphant gleam in her eyes. She seductively turned her body around forcing Dylan to be mesmerized by the way she was moving her hips from side to side. He felt like rolling his eyes back into his head, she knew how to drive him crazy.

Slowly, Brenda laid down on Dylan's couch on her back and patted the space next to her for him to join her. He didn't want to seem too eager, but he had a feeling that she had something up her sleeve. She had just gotten done preaching about how they WEREN'T going to have sex. So what was she doing? He wondered to himself.

His curiosity got the better of him. He walked to his couch and laid down next to his girlfriend. He moved so he was laying on his side and facing her. Brenda had a glowing smile on her face. Slowly she wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself to him as close as she could as rested her head on his shoulder.

Quietly, she moaned at the incredibly intimate act that they were partaking in. Granted it wasn't sex, but to her, it was possibly the next best thing. To just be able to lay with Dylan in utter silence was something that she would never take for granted.

Dylan figuring out what was going on, smiled in return and acted just as Brenda had. He wrapped his arms around her body and pressed himself as close to her as he could. He rested his head down on her shoulder and breathed her in. He smelled the faint scent of almonds and let the comfort sink into his body and his soul.

He had never been able to just lay with someone before. All of the girls in his past, it was more- one night stands. With Kelly, Kelly seemed to be more of a relationship simply based on sex. They had been under the delusion that that made a relationship. It hadn't started that way, but that's what it quickly turned into. There was no excitement, no mystery to his and Kelly's relationship. With Brenda- he had to be attracted to the most stubborn women on the planet because he had never met any two women as stubborn as Kelly Taylor and Brenda Walsh.

With Brenda, she didn't try and force him to do something that he knew that he didn't want to do. They were both people who wanted to just hang out alone by themselves, or have an intimate date, rather then go out to a Frat party. Sometimes, just like everybody, they had to get out sometimes, but they preferred lately to be more "home bound". At least for Dylan, that was something that Kelly just couldn't understand. She couldn't understand why Dylan would rather spend his nights with Erica and have Kelly with him, then go to the Peach Pit.

With thoughts of Erica in his head, Dylan started to become emotional. The pain that she was gone was still raw. He had been able to push past it for a few hours, but it came hurdling back in a flash.

For the first time in fifteen minutes, Dylan heard Brenda's voice.

"I'm not going anywhere tonight Dylan. You need me, I am here. If you need to vent, to cry, to just sit and stare at the wall or the floor, whatever- I am here."

"Thanks Bren. But uh," he started to say.

"No buts Dylan," she warned.

He slightly laughed and then finished, "but I am starving. Could we order some food or go to The Pit?"

She smiled, embarrassed at what she had been thinking of. She nodded her head and sat up from his couch. Now that he mentioned it, she was quite hungry too.

Fifteen minutes later, Brenda and Dylan walked into The Peach Pit, taking it slowly, holding hands.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dylan opened the door for Brenda as they entered, both with smiles plastered on their faces. Dylan and Brenda made a deal in the car ride over that Dylan wouldn't get down on himself until the next day and that was only allowed if nothing panned out from the FBI.

With some hesitation, Dylan agreed. He couldn't guarantee anything, but he could do his best to stay positive. Brenda was surprised that she got that out of him, but wasn't about to push.

They entered The Pit and saw that it wasn't too crowded. Glancing in the back, Dylan saw that there was an empty booth and pointed over toward it. They sat opposite each other, but still didn't let go of the other's hand.

Nat came over, pleasantly pleased to see Dylan and Brenda getting along so well. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn-

"Hey, are you guys back together?" Nat asked before he even asked Dylan how he was.

Dylan and Brenda both shared an embarrassed laugh. They looked at each other and then at Nat. Nat didn't even need to hear the words out of their mouth. He had recognized it. They had been holding each other's hand since they walked in, and sitting down, they still hadn't let go of each other. He was ecstatic! He had always hoped that Dylan and Brenda would work things out. Not that he didn't like Kelly, but he had held a special place for Brenda and Dylan in his heart.

"When did this happen?" he questioned further.

Dylan answered, "Uh, the other day?"

"Yeah, Nat, I'm not gonna be around this summer," Brenda broke the news.

A disappointed look came across Nat's face.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Roy Randolph got me into the summer drama program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London," Brenda explained with a twinkle in her eyes. She couldn't hide the excitement in her voice. She was absolutely thrilled about going, but with this new development with Dylan, she couldn't help but feel bad. She was really going to miss him.

"Well congratulations!" Nat exclaimed! That was wonderful news! After her performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, he was surprised that she hadn't gotten any offers to study somewhere. Apparently, she had.

"Thanks Nat," Brenda replied with a grin on her face.

"Whatever you guys want- it's on the house," Nat offered before he had to leave. Joey, the cook, was calling him back for some help on something. "I'll talk to you guys later,"

"Later," Dylan replied.

"Mega Burger?" Brenda asked almost rhetorically.

Dylan could go for a Mega Burger.

"Hey Nat!" Dylan called to the back.

Nat looked up at Dylan and heard Dylan say, "Two Mega Burgers!"

Nat nodded his head, he should have guessed.

Right next to Dylan was the juke box. Taking a glance inside it to see what songs were available, he found the perfect one. He put his money in the slot and pushed G7. The music started and Dylan stood up as Brenda was taking sips from her water.

Dylan offered his hand to her and asked, "Dance with me?"

Brenda looked up at him like he was crazy. She saw the serious look in his eyes and took his hand with grace and confidence. She recognized the song almost immediately. As Mariah Carey's "Hero" came over the speakers, Dylan held Brenda in his arms and both started to sway back and forth.

The beautiful lyrics struck a cord with both Dylan and Brenda. With the song and the feelings that were coursing through Dylan, he leaned down and whispered into Brenda's ear, "I know we're supposed to take this slow,"

"I love you too Dylan," Brenda finished for him.

As they held each other, the rest of The Peach Pit and all the on-lookers disappeared. The only thing in the world that they could see was each other. Leaning in, they gently kissed each other. It wasn't like earlier. There wasn't a hunger or a lustful feel to it. It was soft, gentle and loving.

As the last line of the song was sung, Dylan told Brenda, "You're my hero Bren,"

She honestly felt like crying. It was like he had just told her that he loved her for the first time all over again. She actually might have let a few treacherous tears fall down her cheeks, but she wasn't positive.

"Let me tell you, you are making this SO hard, Dylan," Brenda said as they sat back down. This time, they sat down next to each other instead of across from each other.

"What am I making so hard Bren?" he questioned concerned.

"You're making it really hard for me to leave. When you say things like that, and with the way I've been feeling- Dylan, I don't know if I can go away for three months without seeing you,"

Immediately he apologized, "Bren, I swear, I haven't been trying to make it harder for you. I'm just being honest, and you HAVE to go to London this summer. We both might not like it, but if you don't go, you will be missing out on an amazing experience."

"What about-"

"Bren, I will be here when you get back. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity Bren, you need to grab it and go with it." He persuaded her as he brushed her bangs back out of her eyes. He loved her eyes. He could never tell exactly what color they were, since they changed from hazel to green to grey on a regular basis.

"I am going to miss you SO much," she confided in him.

"I am going to miss you too, but think about what you were saying earlier. The longer we wait, the better it will be when we finally can be together again,"

She hated it when someone used her own reasoning against her. She knew he was right too. Looking up at him, she gave him a chaste kiss. As Brenda was pulling away, Nat came over to give them their dinner.

Brenda and Dylan continued their conversation, but moved onto a different topic. He asked Brenda how everyone else in the gang was and a thought occurred to Brenda. She had a plan. She knew exactly where they should go after Dylan. Hopefully it would put some things into perspective.

"After dinner, I have the perfect place for us to go," Brenda said mysteriously.

She certainly gained Dylan's curiosity, especially when she didn't tell him where it was that they were going. She wasn't budging and finally Dylan gave up.

After dinner and they walked to Dylan's Porsche, Dylan smiled triumphantly. She had to tell him where they were going, seeing as how he was driving.

"Give it up Bren! You have to tell me where we're going so I know how to get there," he grinned like a little child who had just figured out how to put the puzzle pieces together.

Brenda had one more trick up her sleeve though.

"You're taking me home," she said.

"Home?" he asked confused. How as her house the perfect place for them to go? Maybe they were going to tell her father about them tonight? He was kind of dreading that actually.

"Yep," she nodded her head.

All Dylan could think was "Oh god, this is going to be interesting,"

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note: My apologies in Chapter 8, if it seemed that I made it seem that Brenda and Dylan hadn't fallen in love with each other until they made love that was not what I meant to imply. If that was the impression you got, again, I apologize, that wasn't my intent. It was my intent to promote the opposite, that they had fallen in love and when they made love for the first time, it was just THAT much better. Again, I am sorry if I messed that up or wasn't clear on what I meant. **_

**_I couldn't remember if Andrea gave Hannah a god-mother. I remember that she and Jesse asked Brandon to be her god-father, but I couldn't remember if maybe they asked Kelly to be Hannah's god-mother. For the sake of this story, it's going to be Brenda. _**

**_Also, I am back! My computer is now up and running (though it seems to want to randomly shut off at times... oh well, I'll take what I can get). _**

Chapter 10

Dylan pulled his Porsche into the Walsh's driveway and noticed that all the lights were off and her father's car was gone. He suddenly became very confused. He was under the impression that they were going to tell her parents about them.

Brenda, with a sneaky smile on her face, literally hopped out of Dylan's car and ran up to her mother's station wagon parked in the back. She pulled out her keys and walked toward the car that her mother and she were currently were sharing.

Dylan followed her, but hesitantly.

Brenda could tell what he was thinking and finally told him the truth.

"You know Dylan, when you assume something, you make an ass out of you and me!" she exclaimed as she childishly stuck her tongue out at him.

Things were clicking now in Dylan's head. She had let him think that they were coming to her house to tell her parents. She was right; she hadn't said one word about telling her parents, he had just assumed that's what they were doing since they were coming to her house. Boy did he feel like an idiot.

"Alright Bren, I'll give you this one," he said defeated. He would have to remember to not be quick to think of Brenda's motives in the future. He was almost sure that he would almost never get it right on the money each time.

"Thank you," she said with a winning smile on her face. "Now get in," she ordered.

He sighed, shrugged his shoulders and thought, "What the hell?" He climbed into the station wagon and let Brenda take him to wherever it was that they were going.

A few minutes later they arrived at their destination. Brenda had requested that Dylan close his eyes and not open them until she said it was okay. It was slightly childish, but she wanted it to be a surprise.

"Okay Dylan," she started. "Open your eyes,"

Dylan opened his eyes, blinked a few times and realized where they were. His eyes locked with Brenda and finally understood why she had wanted to keep it a secret. He smiled, grateful that he was there.

Dylan wrapped his arm around Brenda's shoulder and Brenda wrapped her arm around his waist in return. Both entered the building with confidence and with love.

As they entered the building, they took in their surroundings. Entering the elevator, Brenda pushed the number four. The ride lasted ten seconds, but the silence had continued from outside. Dylan hadn't said a word and neither had Brenda, but both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

Brenda and Dylan walked off the elevator and Brenda knew right where she was going. She headed down the hallway and turned left then a quick right and there they were. She quietly knocked on the open door and saw Andrea and Jesse lying on the hospital bed together, asleep.

Brenda smiled, she couldn't help it. "They look so cute together," She thought. While she had hoped for the longest time that Andrea and Brandon would get together, she saw how happy both Andrea and Jesse were as well as Brandon with Kelly, though Brenda felt that that would just take time to just get used to.

Andrea suddenly jerked her head toward Dylan and Brenda as they were walking toward the bed. Dylan realized that Andrea had been in the hospital for the past few days and he hadn't even called to check up on her. He felt kind of like a jerk for that.

"Hey guys," Andrea whispered as to not wake Jesse. He had been up all night with Andrea and checking up on her and their baby girl.

Brenda smiled and gave Andrea a hug. She moved out of the way so Dylan could do the same, and he placed a kiss on Andrea's cheek. He held her hand for a few lingering moments, almost to apologize for not coming by sooner.

"How's she doing?" Brenda asked Andrea.

Andrea took a few seconds to answer, "She's ah, she's still in the incubator, but the doctor's tell us that she's been gaining weight and that is a very good sign,"

"That's great," Brenda said positively. "Did you decide on a name yet?"

Andrea smiled, they had finally.

"Hannah Rose Zuckerman-Vasquez," Andrea beamed with pride and joy in her eyes.

"That is a beautiful name," Brenda noted and complimented.

"What are you guys up to?" Andrea asked as she noted that Brenda and Dylan had that same look in their eyes that they had had almost two years ago.

Dylan shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, some things have been going on and Brenda thought that by coming here would put some things in perspective for me, and she was right,"

Brenda looked at him and saw the wink that Dylan sent her.

"Oh is that all?" Andrea teased him.

"Yep," he said with a smile as he teased her right back. "Ah, come on Zuckerman, where's this baby of yours? I gotta see her if she's going to be apart of our family!"

Jesse began to wake up at that point and saw that they had visitors. He yawned as he awoke and put his hand out to shake Dylan's.

"How's it going man? When did you guys get here?" he asked.

"They've only been here a few minutes," Andrea explained.

Jesse bent over and gave Andrea a quick kiss. Since they had finally named Hannah, things between them were getting better. It wasn't perfect, but it was on the way to getting a lot better. Jesse had confided in Andrea about his fear of losing Hannah, and Andrea felt the same way, but they were both able to be there for the other.

"You guys want to see Hannah?" Jesse asked them.

Both Brenda and Dylan said, "Sure," at the same time.

Brenda took Dylan's hand in hers, and threw him a confident smile. She thanked her lucky stars that he was back in her life and this time, they wouldn't screw it up. When they reached their destination, Brenda looked at all the mothers and fathers that were praying for a miracle for their child, she did not envy them at this moment.

Dylan let the wave of emotions hit him as soon as he entered the room. There was baby after baby, and there was nothing that their parents could do for them except pray. He hoped with all of his being that Hannah did not have to stay in this place too long. Andrea seemed happy with Jesse and one could only guess if they lost Hannah, how it would effect their marriage.

Andrea and Jesse came upon their daughter with huge smiles. There was something about seeing their own child that just made them feel- blissful. Even with Hannah being in the incubator, they had made that beautiful baby girl. They weren't even thinking about "what might happen" to her; all Jesse and Andrea were focusing on were happy thoughts of having a healthy baby girl.

"Brenda, Jesse and I had been meaning to ask you something," Andrea started to say.

Brenda turned to her friend and her husband; she could feel Dylan's hand around her waist behind her.

"We already asked Brandon and we were wondering if you would like to be Hannah's godmother?"

Brenda's face lit up with tremendous joy.

"I would be honored," she accepted with gratitude. She hugged Andrea and then hugged Jesse while placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," Jesse said as he was letting Brenda out of his embrace. "You do know that this entails that you have to baby-sit and change diapers, and do all other type of god-motherly things?"

Brenda nodded her head. She understood what being a god-mother meant.

"So, you guys, who does she look like?" Dylan finally spoke since they had entered the room.

Jesse and Andrea laughed. Both had been raving that she looked like their own side of the family. They shook their heads and said, "Time will tell,"

Twenty minutes later, Brenda and Dylan bid farewell to their friends and decided to head back to Casa Walsh. Brenda had to return the station wagon and that's where the Porsche was. The entire way back from the hospital, Brenda and Dylan sat in silence for the second time that week. Half way back however, Dylan made a move that surprised Brenda.

Dylan took her free hand in his and simply held it. He cast a glance at her while she was driving and smiled to himself. He might have lost something that week, but he had also gained something back; something that he thought that he would never have again. He had her back in his life. This time, he would not screw it up.

TBC…

Preview of next chapter: When arriving at Casa Walsh, a surprise will be waiting for Dylan and Brenda! Plus, how are Kelly and Brandon doing? And where's Steve?


	11. Chapter 11

_A quick AN: If anyone remembers, in the beginning of Season 5, Kelly and Donna had a fight over David and him living in the apartment with Kelly over the summer. In this chapter that fight transpires. But since I don't have the tape with me, I don't remember what all is said, so I only make mention of it. I am just letting it be known that's what fight I was mentioning. Enjoy! _

Chapter 11

Brenda pulled into Casa Walsh like a pro. It made Dylan remember a time a few years back when she was even afraid to take her drivers test. He remembered the first time he had let her drive his Porsche and how she had grinded the gears the ENTIRE time they were out. He would bet that if he gave her another shot at it, she would do much better this time. She really had improved in the last year or so.

"Uh-oh" Brenda said as she got out of the station wagon. She looked up and saw her father's car parked in the driveway as well. Jim and Cindy were home. They were probably wondering what Dylan's car was doing in the driveway and where they were.

Brenda shot a glance at Dylan, who in turn shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't afraid to tell Jim that they were a couple again. He knew it had to come sooner or later, he didn't want it to be later.

Taking a deep breath, Brenda walked to Dylan's side of the car and had a mind set that they could and would do this.

Brenda reached the front door and opened it slowly and as quietly as possible. She quickly poked her head in to see if Jim or Cindy were waiting anywhere near by. She didn't see them, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. Parents have that kind of in-tuned ability about their kids.

Still holding on to Dylan's hand in hers, she let him in and quietly turned around to close the door behind them. Dylan slightly tugged on her hand to lead them up stairs to her room. Just as Brenda was about step foot on the first step, she heard, "Brenda!" from the kitchen.

"Busted," Both Dylan and Brenda thought to themselves.

"It's now or never," Dylan whispered in Brenda's ear as they made their way into the back part of the Walsh house. Dylan still hadn't let go of her hand and he wasn't about to until she said it was okay. It was his way of letting her know that he wasn't going anywhere.

_5 minutes later…_

"You what!" Jim bellowed in the Walsh's kitchen.

Brenda looked back at Dylan and took a deep breath. They had gotten it out the first time, somehow repeating it seemed harder.

"Dylan and I have decided that we both feel that we can give us another try," Brenda said with slightly more confidence in her voice. The redness starting to develop in Jim's face was slightly knocking her confidence, but she had resolved herself.

"Sir," Dylan started to say before Jim interrupted him.

"Don't even say start Dylan," Jim warned him.

"Look, I know that you aren't the happiest person in the world with me, but could we leave my personal business decisions out of this, since that has nothing to do with this?" Dylan asked politely and rationally.

"Fine," Jim agreed, then began with a new area, "Brenda, what makes you think that this time is going to be different? He hasn't broken your heart enough times?" Jim asked her seriously, but with anger in his voice. He remembered all too well the pain that Dylan McKay had caused his daughter.

"Dad, I know that Dylan and I have had problems in the past, but that was in the past and we both have been through a lot in that time. We've both grown and feel that we're really ready to commit to each other on an adult level,"

"Brenda, you are making a huge mistake!" Jim warned her. "You say that you're relationship has reached an adult level, well what will happen when that adult level turns into an adult level relationship with Kelly Taylor, or someone else!"

"That's not going to happen!" Brenda argued with her father. She knew how Dylan felt about her.

"Just like it wouldn't happen the first time?" Jim countered back.

"Look, Jim, I know that I caused Brenda a lot of pain and grief when I chose Kelly over her, but I was a stupid teenager. I was too stupid to see what I had in front of me. I was too blind to realize that I had everything I had always wanted. With Kelly, I thought that I was heading down the right path with where I wanted to be. Well, I chose the wrong the path and now, I am determined to choose the right one. I know I'm choosing the right one, because I'm choosing to be with Brenda,"

Brenda felt like crying. As earlier, it seemed like everything he was saying, he was saying and meaning, but saying and making it extremely hard for her to leave for the summer.

"What about the summer?" Jim questioned calmer than before. "Brenda's leaving in two days,"

"We've got that worked out Dad," Brenda said with a smile on her face.

"I can't believe what I am about say," Jim said aloud. Both the looks on Dylan and Brenda's faces were priceless. Brenda looked like it was Christmas morning and she was five years old again. Dylan felt like he finally had peace within himself.

Brenda wrapped her arms around her father and whispered, "Thank you," in his ear. After she let him out of her embrace, she wrapped her arms around Dylan's waist as he did the same. With a smile on his face, he shook Jim's hand and nodded his head.

"Now that that's over with, Brenda, have you seen your brother?" Jim asked as he opened the newspaper that had been sitting at the table.

"Ah, I haven't today, why?" Brenda asked in return.

"Kelly keeps calling for him and she won't say why,"

Dylan and Brenda smiled and nodded their heads. They knew why. It was obvious that Brandon hadn't told their parents that he was dating Kelly. That could work for Brenda in playing a little trick on her brother.

"If I see him, I'll let him know," Brenda told him as she turned around and drug Dylan toward the front door. As soon as they reached the door, Dylan leaned down and kissed Brenda with joy. Now telling her parents, at least Jim, was off their shoulders and they could be a couple with no secrets, no weight on their shoulders, it felt like they were on cloud nine.

"I am so glad that we got that over with," Brenda told Dylan with tremendous relief in her voice. She felt like holding Dylan for the rest of her life and never letting go.

"I know what you mean," Dylan said in a low voice. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "God I just want to be with you tonight,"

She wanted nothing more than to make love to Dylan at that moment, but she retained herself. She had to keep her strength.

"I know we can't be, but now I have an idea for where we can go," he said mysteriously. It was his turn that night to surprise her. Opening the door, he ran to his car and drug her with him by the hand. The hand that he hadn't let go of since they had been in her car thirty minutes prior.

Brenda hopped over Dylan's passenger side door and buckled in. She had no idea where they were going, but the look in Dylan's eyes said that she wasn't going to be disappointed. Not that she ever was or had been or would be if she was with him, but something said that this was truly special.

_Across town…_

Kelly Taylor had been washing her face before she was going to go to sleep. She had been trying to reach Brandon all day, but he hadn't been home, he hadn't mentioned his plans for the day, so she was a bit worried. She pulled her hair back so that it was out of her face. As she was letting the wash cloth wet, she heard a knock on her door.

She quickly turned the water off and walked to the door. She opened the door to find her boyfriend standing there with a smile on his face. He had his hands behind his back as he usually did, but something seemed different this time.

"Hey stranger," Kelly greeted him. She leaned in to kiss him and instead got a mouth full of daisies.

"I know these are your favorite and I know that you and Donna had that fight yesterday," Brandon consoled.

"Yeah, and then my boyfriend disappears on me with no word, no trace, making me feel wanted," Kelly retorted with a playful tone in her voice.

"I'm sorry Kel, I went to see Andrea and Jesse. Apparently I just missed Brenda and Dylan too,"

"How are they?" Kelly asked as she let Brandon into the apartment. As she closed the door, Brandon turned back around to face her.

"Hannah is doing great. The doctor's say that she's been gaining a lot of weight and that was a very positive sign that she's going to be just fine," He said happily. Andrea and Jesse deserved nothing but happiness.

Kelly moved into the kitchen to grab a vase and put the flowers in. As she filling the vase, she wrapped her arms around Brandon's neck and gave him a chaste kiss.

"Thank you for the flowers," she told him with happiness in her voice.

Keeping her near him and in his embrace, he secured her waist in his arms. With his right hand, he moved in and kissed her neck. Kelly closed her eyes and let the emotions and feeling wash over her.

Everything about Brandon just felt- right to her. While she had loved Dylan and loved him in her own way, it was more about, as bad as it was, having what she couldn't have. With Brandon, she didn't have to try. She could just be herself around him. She was happy around him, not constantly moping, like Dylan.

As she was kissing Brandon, there was another knock on the door. Kelly untangled herself from Brandon and could only think, "It figures. I'm alone all day and finally when Brandon comes over, everybody else does too,"

Kelly opened the door to find Steve standing outside with his hand against the wall and the hugest grin on his face.

"Hi Steve," Kelly greeted him with a smile on her face. Seeing Steve's smiling face always made her smile in return.

"Hey Kel," Steve greeted.

Kelly moved over to let him into the apartment. Steve saw that Brandon was there and greeted his best friend.

"Brando!" Steve said as he made his way over to Brandon.

Behind Steve, Brandon saw Kelly shake her head "no". She apparently wanted to wait to tell Steve about her and Brandon together. Brandon didn't really care, but Kelly probably wanted to break it to Steve alone. Everyone knew that Steve would always carry a torch for his first love.

"What's up Steve?" Brandon asked him.

"Bran! You will never guess what happened while you were gone!" Steve said excitedly. Kelly was interested as well, though.

"Uh- you studied for your finals?" Brandon teased him.

"Better!" Steve said elatedly. "Celeste and I got back together! And! We're going to Hawaii for the summer!"

Kelly almost did a double take. She knew that Celeste had dumped John Sears after their little talk, but she had no clue that she and Steve decided to get back together.

"Wow, Steve! Congrats man!" Brandon wished his friend well.

"We leave the day after finals," Steve told them.

"Steve, I am very happy for you," Kelly told him honestly. She walked over to him and gave him a huge hug. "I hope you have a wonderful time in paradise,"

"Looks like it'll be just you two hanging around here this summer," Steve announced as he was thinking about it.

Brandon and Kelly simply looked at each other. They knew what the other was thinking. They would be able to go out and do things and not worry about their friends for the entire summer. It was going to be the best summer Kelly would have in a LONG time. She was determined to make it one of the best summers of her life, if not the best.

TBC…

_Next: Where did Dylan take Brenda? Brandon and Kelly break the news to Jim and Cindy as well as the last two days Brenda has left in LA. Will she stay or will she go?_

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